All the paperwork for going out was finally in order. Better late than never, as they say.
Stepping into the Dorm Supervisor's office, Natsume-san was once again met with the Supervisor's kindly and amiable face.
The two of them chatted away happily, hitting it off like old friends from the very start. It felt like they were kindred spirits, regretting not having met sooner.
By the time their conversation finally wrapped up, most of the afternoon had slipped away.
A dazed expression on her face, Natsume Sonoko gave a slight bow and left the Supervisor's office.
Head lowered, she walked down the bustling corridor, drawing occasional sidelong glances from passing Tokiwadai girls.
'I had all the documents ready, so why did the lecture have to go on for so long?'
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, a distinctly unhappy look bloomed on Natsume Sonoko's face.
In terms of sheer duration, today's lecture from the Supervisor had practically set a new personal record.
Without her even realizing it, this was already the third time—counting the hospital stay—that a certain bun-haired girl had failed to return to the dorms for the night.
And it hadn't even been that long since the last time she'd pulled an all-nighter with Misaka-senpai.
It seemed the Supervisor had finally decided enough was enough with a certain bun-haired girl's antics and was determined to give her a proper talking-to, paperwork or not.
All in all, it had been a rather lousy day for Natsume Sonoko.
First thing in the morning, that little Misaka had run off with that white-haired guy.
Then, for some reason, the teachers kept calling on her in class all day. And just when she thought she could finally get some rest back at the dorm, the Supervisor had laid into her with a whole heap of criticism.
Her heart felt so heavy. 'I want to create a world without Dorm Supervisors.'
The only silver lining was that she hadn't been punished with cleaning the dormitory cafeteria like last time. That counted as good news, right?
"Natsume-san, hello. I'm first-year Hanazono Mei."
Walking down the hallway somewhat absentmindedly, Natsume Sonoko was just about to head back to her room.
But right then, a Tokiwadai girl she didn't know very well suddenly stepped in front of her. She'd seen her a few times around the dorm, but they'd never really spoken.
In her hands, she held a transparent glass vase with a few daffodils nestled inside—flowers symbolizing good luck.
"Hello."
Looking bewildered, Natsume Sonoko lifted her head to gaze at the girl, seemingly unsure what was happening.
"Please do your best on your Level 5 assessment. Please accept these daffodils."
The girl named Hanazono Mei nodded firmly and presented the daffodils to Natsume Sonoko.
"Thank you. I'll do my best."
After only a slight hesitation, Natsume Sonoko's expression turned serious. She accepted the flowers gravely and thanked her.
Clutching the daffodils, Natsume Sonoko watched as this Hanazono-san walked away, her mood instantly lifting just a little.
"Hello, I'm second-year Igarashi Aoi. I'm here to—"
She hadn't even managed a few steps forward before another girl rushed up to Natsume-san, this one holding a box of chocolates.
Never in her life had she felt so popular. Suddenly becoming the center of attention at Tokiwadai left Natsume Sonoko feeling flustered and utterly at a loss, looking very much in a tizzy.
While she'd never been exactly a wallflower at Tokiwadai before, being the focus of such attention was a first.
As for the reason, Natsume Sonoko knew perfectly well—everyone had found out about her upcoming assessment.
Holding seven or eight gifts in her arms, her face flushed a bright, embarrassed pink, Natsume Sonoko thanked everyone repeatedly before finally managing to extricate herself from the crowd.
Once she was back in her own room, Natsume Sonoko set the gifts down on her desk and stared blankly at the daffodils rooted in their clear vase.
'Everyone's so enthusiastic... I'm still not really used to it.'
Just as she was lost in thought, her phone let out a beep-beep.
[Natsume-san, the news that you're the #8 Level 5 has spread all over the network.]
It was a message from Juufuku-san. Even though she'd been busy transferring schools lately, she hadn't forgotten to keep up with current events.
In contrast, Natsume Sonoko felt like she was almost falling behind the front lines of Academy City's online chatter.
[So that's what happened.]
Startled, Natsume Sonoko picked up her phone and skimmed through a few of her usual forums. The situation was just as Juufuku-san had described.
No wonder everyone at Tokiwadai knew. She'd originally suspected a certain teleporter was the leak, but it seemed she'd been wrong about that—though that girl wasn't exactly innocent either.
[Natsume-san, is this going to be a problem for you?]
[It's fine. Everyone was going to find out eventually anyway. I'm mentally prepared for it.]
Hopping onto her super-soft sofa, Natsume Sonoko immediately sank deep into its cushions.
While she said it was fine, it was clear she still cared somewhat about the news and discussions about her online.
Thinking it over, she suddenly buried her face in her giant bear hug-pillow, as if trying to accelerate her acceptance of reality.
Speaking of the bear hug-pillow, its stomach felt a bit lumpy. She slipped a hand inside and pulled out a pack of weird-flavored candy she'd bought at the supermarket ages ago.
"Bleh, salty this time. So salty! And it even has a licorice aftertaste."
She shot up from the sofa with surprising speed, her acceptance of reality seemingly complete.
Rushing to her feet, Natsume Sonoko dashed to the bathroom to spit out the candy. Salty candy was arguably the worst of the weird flavors, even worse than the tuna-flavored one she'd tried last time.
[Natsume-san, are you still there? On the day of your assessment, I'll come to cheer you on.]
Her phone lit up with another message from Juufuku-san.
[You don't have to go to all that trouble. The place is pretty far, I think it's in District 5.]
Returning from the bathroom, Natsume Sonoko picked up her phone to reply.
--+--
The weather was beautifully clear, and with the temperature just right, it was perfect for an outing.
Originally, today was supposed to be Tokiwadai Middle School's physical examination day, but instead, Natsume Sonoko found herself in Academy City's District 5.
Compared to the other Districts, this one had a more mature feel to it, filled with universities and libraries steeped in a strong academic atmosphere.
'Universities, huh. They're really different from District 7, which is full of middle and high schools.' The most novel thing for Natsume Sonoko was that people here didn't have to wear school uniforms.
Walking the streets here with keen interest, her face was a mix of curiosity and longing, even though her own school already taught university-level courses in middle school.
She was surrounded by university students in casual clothes, with very few students from other Districts. Someone like Natsume Sonoko, wearing the distinct Tokiwadai uniform, was an especially rare sight.
She hadn't gone far before she started sensing people's gazes on her. Eventually, she decided to just turn invisible to avoid the attention, quickly arriving at her assessment location.
The Pan-Skill Application Research Institute, located north of Shirayuri University in District 5, covered an area even larger than the university itself. It boasted over a dozen independent research buildings, with extensive facilities even underground.
Misaka-senpai had wrecked quite a few important research institutes before, but none could compare to this one in scale.
She was scheduled to meet the researcher at 10 a.m. Pulling out her phone to check the time, Natsume Sonoko saw it was almost time.
The Pan-Skill Application Research Institute was an organization dedicated to studying espers with multiple skill sets.
Unlike many specialized institutes, it could simultaneously develop and research abilities across different systems.
Some espers were special, often straddling several ability systems. For instance, Misaka-senpai could control both magnetic fields and electric currents, making her a multi-skill esper too.
So, single-system research institutes often struggled to fully unlock the potential of these espers, leading to the emergence of cross-disciplinary institutes like this one.
However, Natsume-san wasn't really a multi-skill esper. Most of her additional abilities were just derivatives, but normally, she'd still fit the profile for this kind of institute.
She was about ten minutes early. Just as she reached the institute's main entrance, a female researcher in a white lab coat approached her.
Natsume Sonoko paused for a second. She felt like she'd seen this researcher somewhere before.
As the woman drew closer, Natsume Sonoko's memory sharpened. 'Oh, it's her.'
Back when she'd impersonated Kaito Ito and was being studied at the 4th Thermal Energy Research Institute, this was the researcher who'd been in charge. Her name was... Hirosue Akira, if she remembered correctly.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.